Match book or packet



1941- J. J. EYER 2,259,686

MATCH BOOK OR PACKET Filed June 16, 1939 INVENTOR: bs vfi JZ'yer,

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATCH BOOK on PACKET JosephJ. Eyer, Wilmington, Del. 7 Application June 16, 1939, Serial No. 279,546 1 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-29) the orthodox manner.

This invention relates to improvements in match books or match packets of that type in which one or more rows of paper matches are bound in a cover of paper, cardboard or like material, said cover having a cover flap free at one end and adapted to be engaged at such end with a keeper formed by the free edge of a binding and keeper flange to hold the cover flap in closed condition. Match books of this character are generally of a form and size to be conveniently carried in the pocket, and access to the matches for removal of one or more matches at a time is obtained by opening the cover flap.

As usually constructed the covers of such match books are formed of a single strip of ma terial folded to provide a back portion or leaf, a flange at the bottom of the back leaf forming a pocket to receive the binding strip or strips carrying the matches, the matches being fastened in place by a staple or the like binding the back leaf, flange and matches together, said staple being placed so as to leave the upper edge of. the flange free to form a keeper, and a cover flap integral at its upper end with the upper end of the back leaf and connected therewith by a U-shaped return bend or hinging fold, said flap being free at its lower end and adapted to be inserted between the binding strips of the .matches and keeper edge of the flange to secure it in closed condition. Ordinarily the cover is open at each end of the book, the leaves thereof being of suificient width 'to cover and protect the matches, and thecover and matches are of such relative lengths that, in the closed condition of the cover, the heads of the matches lie snugly within the space bounded by the hinging fold uniting the back and cover leaves. Commonly some portion of the cover, usually the outer face of the binding and keeper flange, is provided with a coating of a suitable igniting material.

7 Match books -of the construction above described are open to a number of objections. One objection is that the cover flap 'must be opened and closed each time a match is extracted for use, and the fastening of the cover is sometimes an annoying and tedious operation in case, the keeper edge of the binding flap is broken or bent out of. shape. Because of this fact the user often leaves the book open while striking and using the extracted match, with the consequent liabile ity of setting fire to the matches remaining in the book. The book with the flap open is also awkward to hold and handle in using the ignited match to light a, cigar, cigarette or pipe in Another object to match books of the construction described is that the flap fastening is'insecure andthe flap is liable to become accidentally opened in the pocket and cause exposure of the matches and liability of the same being broken off or ignited.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved construction of match book or packet which overcomes these objections and which, while allowing free access to'the matches for convenient removal, at all times keeps the matches covered and protected.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view'of' one form of match book embodying my invention as it appears in normal condition.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the manner of holding the book and manipulating it for the extraction of a match therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a side elevationof the book showing in full and dotted lines the leaves in normal and distended positions.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal front-to-rear section through the book.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and? are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 3 showing another. form of the book.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawing, I designates a match book or packet embodying one or more rows of matches 2 and a protective cover or envelope 3. The matches of each row have headed igniting ends 4 and are fixed at their opposite or stub ends to a binder strip 5. In practice one or any convenient number of such rows of matches may be bound in a cover 3 to form a book, the rows of matches being arranged in parallel relation to each other when a plurality of rows are bound in, with the binder strips 5 and heads 4 respectively disposed at what for convenience may be termed the bottom and top portions of the book.

The cover or envelope 3 is made of a strip of a suitable resilient sheet material, such as cardboard, or any similar material capable of. being folded upon itself and of sufi'icient resiliency to adapt its portions to bend, bow or flex under pressure and to return to normal position upon being relieved from pressure. This strip is folded upon itself to form two sides or side sections 6 and 1 united at their outer ends by a return bend portion or hood section 8. In practice side and hood sections are preferably transversely scored at the points 9 and H] so as to divide each side section into a body portion H and an angularly related panel portion or section connecting the same with the adjacent side of the return portion or hood 8, adapting said portions by reason of the scores or weakening lines to assume the positions shown. As shown, the capability of the portions to bend or hinge at the points 9 and I adapts the sides of the hood body to come close together, to make the hood body comparatively fiat, while adapting the body portions II to be spread or spaced a wider distance apart to accommodate between'them one or more rows of matches as desired, the portions 12 serving as bellows-like accordion or expansion folds for this purpose.

rangement of the body of the folded hood section At the same time the flattened ar-' sufiicient space is afforded, the operator may insert both the forefinger and thumb of his free hand into the book and grasp a match and pull it loose. Upon pressure being then removed from the hood or return portion 8 the side sections and hood will automatically return to their normal positions by their resiliency and close the book. Prior to or after release of the hood 8 the operator may strike the match upon the friction surface to ignite it without the necessity andannoyance of firstclosing a cover leaf to coverand protect the bound matches, or without the inconvenience -and danger of leaving a cover leaf open and the conveniently held and manipulated. Itwill bev observed that such form of the side sections and hood also adapts the-body portion H .of theside sections to be held "by: their resiliency in'abutting contact with the sides'of the matchesto provide a compact book and keep the open ends of the book contracted, while at the same time adapting the angular portions or panels l2 to overhang or arch over the heads of the matches, thus giving complete protection thereto.

As shown also the normally free'ends of the cover strip which form the lower ends of the side sections lie in contact with the binder strip or strips of the row or rowsof matches and are secured thereto and to each other by means of a staple 13 or other suitable fastening'means. The cover sidesior sections 6 and 1 are therefore per-- manently fixed at this :point and form with the binder strips 5 a comparativelystiif or rigid portion at the base or bottom of the book. At this point either or both side sections may be provided with frictionor other match igniting surfaces 14. In practice the side sections are made of awidth equal to or somewhat greater than the width of the row or rows of matches so that the matches will be permanently covered andprotected'at each side and at the top and bottom oftthe book, leaving the book open only at each end thereof With the construction above described, therefore, there-is no cover portion to be opened and closed by the user or to accidentally open and to expose the matches to casual breakage or ignition. When it is desired to get access to the book to remove a match it is simply necessary for the operator to place the bookbetween the thumb andafinger of one hand, with the stiff bottom, for example, resting on the thumb and the forefinger resting on the crown portion of the hood 8, so that upon pressure being placed on said crown portion to force the same toward the heads of the matches the pressure will be transmitted through the panels I2 to the side sections to spread said side sections apart divergently in an upward and outward direction from their fixed ends, as shown in Fig. 2. The range of movement may be such as to bring the crown portionv of the hood in contact with the heads of the matches, thus allowing the book to beheld firmly in the hand between the thumb and forefinger. The operator may therefore insert the forefinger of his other or free hand into the book through the widened opening at either end of the book afforded by the spreading of the side sections'and bring said finger to bear upon the headed end of the nearest match of a row and bend the match outward until it may be grasped. between the thumb .and forefinger .and pulledlloose. .Or, if

' bound matches exposed while the extracted match is being ignited and used. Since also no cover flap is used which may become accidentally released when the book is carried in the pocket, liability of exposure of the matches and their breakage or casual ignition due to such cause is obviated. The portions 8 and I 2 obviously provide bellows-like folds connecting .the leaves whereby a compactly folding structure :is pro-- vided which at the same time allows maximum spreading of the leaves. I

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which the book la. is generally'of the same construction'as the book-I above described'except that the cover sides or sections 6a and 7a are continuously straight. between their fastened ends at the bottom of the book and the return bend or hood portion 8a. The sides of this hood 8a alsolie substantially 'in' the planes of the body portions of the leaves 6a and la and are spaced apart to the same degree. This form of the invention therefore omits the angular portions or panels. 12 and score lines 9 and I0 and the'contracted form of the hood or return bend'portion shown in Figs. 1 to 5, vinclusive, but the crown or crest of the hood .or return bend portion 8a, is spaced a proper distance from the :matchheads to adapt it to be moved under pressure toward the matches to spread the cover sides or sections Batand 1a apart to allow access. to be obtained to the matches from eitherend of the book. .Ihisrmodified structure, therefore, operates'on the same principle as that shown in Figsu-l to 5, inclusive, and may be employed in the making of books requiring the use-of somewhat .less .material in the formation'of the cover and where a smaller degree'of spreadingof the'side' sections is considered sufficient for the purpose.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawing, the construction, mode of use and advantages of my improved match book will be readily understood without a further and extended description, and, while the structures shown are preferred, it is to be understood that changes in the form, proportions and relationship ofthe parts may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the-spirit or sacrificing any of ,th advantages of the invention.

What I claim is: V L

1. In a safety match book structure, a match base, matches carried thereby, I and an openended cover of resilient sheet material extending about the base andmatches to provide substantially flat sides of substantially equal length and an inverted U-shaped hood, said sides being fixed I being arranged to overhang the headed ends of the matches and extending continuously and uninterruptedly between and connecting the upper ends of the sides with each other and forming a permanently closed cover top preventing access to and extrusion or other exposure of the match heads at the top of the book, the length of the sides and depth of the hood being such as to space the crown of the hood from the match heads a distance permitting a sufficient range of movement of the crown under pressure thereon toward the match heads to spread the sides apart on diverging lines from their fixed ends upward to widen the open ends of the cover whereby to admit insertion of a thumb and forefinger of the hand through one of the widened open ends into the cover for the extraction of a match from any point in the stack.

2. In a safety match book structure, a match base, matches carried thereby, and an openended cover formed of a single piece of resilient sheet material extending about the base and matches to provide substantially flat sides of substantially equal length and an inverted U-shaped hood, said sides being fixed at their lower ends to the base and normally held by their resiliency in contact with the sides of the matches to maintain the open ends of the cover in contracted condition, and said hood being arranged to overhang the headed ends of the matches and extending continuously and uninterruptedly between and integrally connecting the upper ends of the sides and forming a permanently closed cover top preventing access to and extrusion or other exposure of the match heads at the top of the book, the length of the sides and depth of the hood being such as to space the crown of the hood from the match heads a distance permitting a sufiicient range of movement of the crown under pressure thereon toward the match heads to spread the sides apart on diverging lines from their fixed ends upward to widen the open ends of the cover whereby to admit insertion of a thumb and forefinger of the hand through one of the widened open ends into the cover for the extraction of a match from any point in the stack. I 3. In a safety match book structure, a mate base, matches carried thereby, and an openended cover of resilient sheet material extending about the base and matches to provide substantially flat side sections of substantially equal lengths and fixed at their lower ends to the base, and an inverted U-shaped hood section including inwardly and upwardly inclined panel members hingedly connecting the upper ends of the side sections with the adjacent sides of the body of the hood section to adapt said sections to expand and contract or unfold and fold in unison, said side sections being normally held by their resiliency in contact with the sides of the matches to keep the open ends of the cover and the hood and panel members in contracted condition, and said hood section and panel members being arranged to overhang the headed ends of the matches and extending continuously between and connecting the upper ends of the side sections with each other so as to conjointly form a permanently closed cover top preventing access to and extrusion or other exposure of the match heads at the top of the book, the length of the side sections and depth of the hood section and panel members being such as to space the crown of the hood section from the match heads a distance permitting a sufficient range of movement of said crown under pressure thereon toward the match heads to spread the panel members and transmit motion therethrough to spread the side sections apart on diverging lines from their fixed ends upward to widen the open ends of the cover whereby to admit insertion of a thumb and forefinger of the hand through one of the widened open ends into the cover for the extraction of a match from any point in the stack.

JOSEPH J. EYER. 

